Process of printing on mixed goods



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRI N. F. SCHAEFFER, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

PROCESS OF PRINTING ON MIXED GOODS.-

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,237, dated November15, 1898.

Application filed June 3, 1896. $erial N0.v 594,143- (No specimens.)

1'0 alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI N. F. SOEAEFEER, a citizen of France, residingin Manchester, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire,have invented an Improvement in Processes of Producing Printed-Effectson Mixed Woven Goods, of which the'following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on thedrawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a novel process for producing printed effectsonmixed woven and dyed goods composed of animal and vegetable fibers.

My improved process is especially applicable for producing printed warpeffects on mixed woven goods composed of wool and cotton or silk andcotton, and also for producing discharged printed effects on mixed wovengoods, as will be more specifically described.

Prior to this invention I am aware that mixed woven goods have been dyedwith different basic colors by the use of a tannin mordant in the cottondyeing; but this mordant, when combined with the basic coloring-matterin the cotton, produces a color or lake which cannot be discharged,which fact has prohibited the printing of mixed woven goods dyed withbasic colors. I am also aware that mixed goods have been cross-dyed withsubstantive or direct colors; but I am not aware that such dyed goodshave ever been printed, owing to the fact that no mordant has beenfound, prior to this invention, which would fix the substantive color onthe cotton so that it could be subsequently discharged and leave thewool unaffected by the mordant. The tannin mordant employed with thebasic colors cannot be used as a mordant for the substantive or directcolors.

In accordance with this invention I have discovered a novel mordant forsubstantive or direct colors and a fixing agent therefor, which combineswith the substantive coloring-matter and forms a color or lake capableof being discharged with discharge reagents, such as now commonlyemployed in print Works, and which mordant and fixing agent do notinjuriously aflect the wool fiber or the color with which it is dyed.This new mordant for substantive colors enables me to produce printedwarp effects on woven and dyed mixed goods composed of animal andvegetable fibers having the animal fiber dyed with a coloring-matter notaffected or acted on by the discharge agent or mixture, as willobtainthe printing elfects desired.

A mordant with which I have obtained superior results, and one which Iprefer, is a triple compound metallic mordant, composed of salts ofzinc, magnesia, and alumina, dis-- solved in water and renderedinsoluble in the cotton fiber by a fixing agent which is not stronglyalkaline and which therefore does not injuriously affect the wool. Iprefer also to use the sulfate of zinc and magnesia and the acetateof'alumina; but I do not desire to limit my invention in this respect,for while I have obtained superior results with these salts othercolorless salts of thesame bases may be employed, and a compoundmordant, composed of two of the said salts, may be used to advantagewith good results. The metallic mordant referred to is soluble and isrendered insoluble in the cotton by means of the fixing agent of commonsalt, which is not sufiiciently alkaline to affect the wool.

In order that my invention may be clearly comprehended, I will firstdescribe in detail the process of producing printed warp effects withwhich I have obtained excellent results. The mixed goods of cotton andwool are prepared in the usual manner for dyeing wool dye bath I preferto use lactic acid and bisulfate of soda instead of the other acids nowcommonly employed. The goods are placed in the wool-dye bath and thelatteris brought to the boiling-point and maintained at theboiling-point for a given time, as now commonly practiced inwool-dyeing,whereby the wool fiber is dyed with the desired shade of itscolor,after which the goods are well washed and dried. It will beunderstood that in this wool-dyeing the cotton fiber remains unaffectedby the wool color. The mixed goods after being dried are passed througha solution of a compound (substantially colorless metallic mordant forthe best results) composed of magnesium sulfate, zinc sulfate, andacetate of alumina, in about equal portionssay fifty grams of eachdissolved in two thousand cubic centimeters of water,cold or lukewarm.The mixed goods are allowed to become well impregnated with the mordantso.- lution and are then squeezed or hydroextracted to remove excess ofliquor and then run through a fixing solution for the mordant, which mayand preferably will be composed of the following ingredients and for thebest results in about the proportions given-namely, one thousand cubiccentimeters water, one hundred grams sodium chlorid, and five to tencubic centimeters ammonia. After passing the mordanted goods through thefixing solution they are freed from excess of the fixing solution bysqueezing, hydroextractin g, or in any other suitable manner and allowedto stand a short or substantially short time, after which they arewashed and dyed with the substantive coloring-matter desired or requiredfor any particular color or shade of color.

It is my belief that the mordant solution absorbed by the cotton isprecipitated in the cotton by the fixing agent in the form of in solubleoxids,which reaction does not appear to take place in the wool. v

The dye-bath of the substantive color is prepared in any usual orsuitable manner and of a concentration or strength sufficient to obtainthe shade desired, and for the best results a small quantity of sodiumchlorid may and preferably will be added to the substantive dye-bath.The goods are then placed in the substantive dye-bath, which ismaintained at a substantially low temperature that is, below theboiling-point-and preferably for the best results at or belowcentigrade, and the length of time the goods remain in the substantivedye-bath depends on the depth of shade itis desired the color on thecotton fiber should possess. After the color on the cotton fiber hasbeen developed to the desired shade the goods are removed from thesubstantive dye-bath and washed well, and if deemed necessary they maybe given a cold soaping, after which they are dried,when it will befound that the color of the Wool remains practically the same as it wasat the completion of the wool-dyeing and that it is not stained,tarnished, or otherwise changed or contaminated by the substantive colorof the cotton, and consequently each fiber is dyed of the desired colorand each color is of the desired shade and brilliancy. The mixed wovengoods,now cross-dyed and with the substantive color in the cotton warprendered fast by a metallic mordant which does not contaminate norchange the color of the wool and which mordant permits the substantivecolor fixed on the cotton to be discharged with suitable reagents ordischarge mixture such as now commonly employed in discharge printing,havenext applied to them, in design, the discharge reagent-such as tin,bisulfite of soda, zinc, &c.-alone, for a white discharge or with asuitable coloringmatter when a colored discharge is desired, and arethen steamed and washed. The discharge reagent reacts on the cottoncolor and produces printed colored designs on the cotton warp, but doesnot react on the wool color, which remains undisturbed, and the resultis mixed woven and dyed goods with the wool or animal fiber dyedthroughout the fabric, but not printed with the design, while thevegetable fiber dyed with the. substantive color is printed with thedesign.

In obtaining printed warp effects the color with which the wool fiber ofthe mixed Woven goods is dyed may be basic, acid, or any other color,such as now commonly employed in wool-dyeing and such as is not actedupon by a discharge agent or mixture; but by reason of the capability ofthe substantially colorless mordant combining with the substantivecolor, so as to produce a fast substantive color capable of beingdischarged, I am enabled to produce in addition to the printed warpeffects discharged printed effects on woven goods with both the animaland vegetable fibers dyed with the same or different substantive colors,so that the printed design will appear both on the wool and on thecotton. \Vhen the printed effect or design is to appear on both theanimal and vegetable fiber dyed with the same substantive color, thecot-ton is first dyed and fixed at a low temperature, after which thewool or animal fibe1-m5 is dyed by bringing the dye-bath to theboiling-point and maintainingit at such temperature until the wool isdyed the desired shade.

In the process of producing discharge printed effects referred to thegoods are mordanted and treated the same as the cotton or vegetablefiber is treated in the process of producing printed warp effects, andif the wool is to be dyed with the same substantive color the goods areallowed to remain in the same dyebath and the latter brought to theboilingpoint, and after the wool color has been brought to the desiredshade the goods are removed from the substantive dye bath, washed, andprinted in design with the discharge mixture or agent and then steamedand washed, as above described, with relation to printing the vegetablefiber to produce printed warp effects. The discharge mixture or agentapplied in design to both the animal and vegetable fibers reacts on thesubstantive color in both and produces the colored designs on both theanimal and vegetable fiber.

If it is desired to dye the wool or animal fiber with a differentsubstantive color from that with which the cotton or vegetable fiber isdyed, the mixed goods are dyed after the manner pursued in the dyeing toproduce printed Warp effects,that is to say, the mixed goods are dyed ina bath of substantive color at a high temperature, which dyes the animalfiber the desired shade. The mixed goods are then removed from thedye-bath, washed, mordanted, and fixed, as above described, and thenimmersed in a bath of the substantive color with which it is desired thevegetable fiber should be dyed, the dyeing of the vegetable fiber beingconducted at a low temperature, so as not to affect the color of theanimal fiber.

The animal and vegetable fibers may be dyed with the same color or shadeof color or with different colors, as described, and various-coloreddesigns may be prod uced by the reaction of the discharge reagent on thefixed substantive color.

I am aware that it has been proposed to use as mordants for substantivecolors in cross dyeing sulfate of copper, chromium fiuorid, bichrome,and a mixture of bichrome and sulfate of copper; but such mordants arenot suitable for use with substantivecolors, as they have the elfect ofsaddening or deadening the color of the cotton and also of the wool.

As a practical illustration of my invention let it be supposed that itis desired to obtain printed warp efiects with the wool dyed blue andthe cotton red. In this case the W001- dye bath may be made up in aboutthe following proportions: To one pound of cloth take one ounce of theblue color known to the trade as patent blue A and having the followingcomposition: disulfo-acid calcium salt of metaoxy diethyl dibenzyldiamido-triphenyl carbinol, ten gallons of water and four ounces ofbisulfate of soda. Place the cloth in the wool-dye bath and raise thetemperature gradually to boiling and maintain the bath at theboiling-point until the desired shade of blue is obtained. Thepartiallydyed goods are then washed well and dried, after which they arepassed through a bath of mordant composed of fifty grams each ofsulfates of zinc and magnesia and acetate of alumina dissolved in twothousand cubic centimeters of water. Permit the goods to becomesaturated, remove, and hydroextract. Pass the mordanted goods through afixing solution composed of one hundred grams common salt in onethousand cubic centimeters of water, to which is added five to ten percent. of ammonia. Remove excess of fixing liquor and dye, either Wet ordry, in a substantive bath composed of five per cent. to weight of goodsof diamin scarlet, to which is preferably added about ten per cent.common salt. Dye at a low temperature until the required depth of shadeis obtained, which usually takes from three-quarters of an hour to onehour. Remove, wash Well, soap, if desired, and dry. Then print thecross-dyed goods in design in the manner now commonly practiced incalico-printing.

I claim- 1. The process of producing printed effects on mixed wovengoods composed of animal and vegetable fibers, which consists in dye=ing both fibers with a substantive color or colors, rendering thesubstantive color fast on-the vegetable fiber by a substantially colorless compound metallic mordant, and a fixing agent not suflicientlyalkaline to affect the animal fiber, and printing in design on bothfibers a discharge reagent which reacts on both the animal and vegetablesubstantive color and produces a colored design on both of said fibers,substantially as described.

2. The improvement in the process of pro ducing printed effects on mixedwoven goods composed of animal and vegetable fibers, which consists inmordanting the vegetable fiber of the mixed goods with a substantiallycolorless mordant for a substantive color, fixing the mordant with areagent not sufficiently alkaline to affect the animal fiber, dyeing themordanted and fixed vegetable fiber with the substantivecolor, andprinting in design on the mixed goods a discharge reagent which reactson the mordanted substantive color, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRI N. F. SCHAEFFER.

Witnesses:

J AS. H. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY.

